Natalie Dunn

July 05, 2018

My 10-Day Cruise trip

While everyone else is at university or working, I was one of the lucky people that got to go on a 10 day cruise on the P&O Pacific Jewel. This cruise nearly lasted 2 weeks, and it was the first cruise I had ever been on. I would like to share my experiences with you.

First day was very different because of where our starting point is. Although we normally travel by car when we either go on a road trip or as a starting point to the airport to catch a flight, this involves having another non-travelling family member driving us to the wharf and the check-ins are very different. Unlike the airport, the duty free in the shed 10 down at the Auckland Wharf is quite limited on what you can buy (either alcohol or souvenirs and that's about all really compared to the duty free at Auckland International Airport.)

Once we're checked in, it was a very different feeling. I was expecting to see a number of students and young children but as it was during the working and school term, it was a little different- we were having our luggage checked in instead of checking it in ourselves and having to carry it all up so I guess that was a good thing about the cruise- and they had room stewards on board if we needed anything. It took a few hours before the ship actually started to move and there was a welcome on board party.

WI-FI was pretty limited - I was only allowed a certain amount of wifi and was unable to contact friends/family or connect with anyone on Facebook which wasn't cool- but upside was that I was able to take a break from my phone.

Creme Brulee, one of the desserts I had on the cruise.

The food and drinks were pretty good but I felt like I was one of the few young adults drinking really good cocktails on board the cruise (the rest appeared to be older people) and also again, not cool when they asked me for my ID for proof of age (once to enter an adults only comedy show but other times it was for alcohol consumption). My advice is if you're between 18 to 25, or even 30 years old, be prepared to be asked for ID on a cruise ship- apparently they are a lot more stricter than restaurants on land. So if you are over 18 (for NZ and Australia and the Pacific) and wanting to have a nice exotic cocktail, BE SURE TO HAVE YOUR AGE ID with you. P&O Pacific Jewel has two free restaurants on board the cruise to choose from (others you have to pay for them)- one of them is fine dining and the other is of course, a buffet.

Mother's Day Display Cake

And then there were the shows. Almost every night there was at least one show on (was going to record but filming the show is actually not allowed so I didn't do it) and there were different performances and each had a different story- one night we had a rock band performing awesome rock songs.

There were other activities on the cruise like shopping, adventures, golf putting/bowling competitions, Martini Masters and liquor tastings (we did neither Martini or liquor), there were outdoor movies, as well as swimming/spas, gyms, and much much more. And don't forget, the fun bits, Nightclubs, Karaokes and Parties!

Oh, by the way, coincidentally it also happened to be mother's day when we were on the cruise. Here is a photo of the mother's day cake.

There were 5 destinations the Cruise took us too. They were: Noumea (New Caledonia), Lifou (Loyalty Islands-also part of New Caledonia), Mystery Island (Island in Vanuatu), Port Vila

(Vanuatu) and Mare Island (Final port of call of the cruise, also in New Caledonia). Each destination had it's own beauty.

The first stop was Noumea, where we went to the markets and I bought a pair of cheap pearl earrings. We explored the markets before we eventually left and went to a beach further up Noumea (after a day's hop on/hop off bus trip around Noumea). We went back to the cruise ship which then departed after 5pm.

The second stop was in Lifou, also in New Caledonia. We disembarked onto a small boat (known as "tenders"). Swam at the beach ashore, then went back by the small boat to have lunch at the cruise ship. We walked through a small track and gave a fee in order to snorkel at a private marine reserve, which is a protected one (hence the reason that only a limited number of people can snorkel in the reserve at the time- and just like other protected reserves, you must not touch or disturb marine life or coral). Then we went back to the cruise ship by a small boat, the cruise ship departed around the same time as previous day.

The third stop was Mystery Island, in Vanuatu. Beautiful and sunny day, with clear water. Swam on both sides of the beach and I was careful to avoid accidentally stepping on the many sea cucumber in the water.

The fourth day, coincidentally, mother's day was a stop to Port Vila. We went to a coffee factory and bought a bag of coffee and travelled around Port Vila by taxi, costing us around $120. Then we swam at a beach and returned to the port, where before boarding the ship, I had a few strands of hair braided by the local indigenous people. As it was mother's day, me and my mother ordered the same cocktail- a Toblerone. Not the most ideal cocktail, I know as it was night time but it had little caffeine and more alcohol in it- at least we enjoyed the drink and the show as well as dinner and dessert later that night.

The fifth and final Port of Call- Mare Island, New Caledonia had the best beach of the trip. Costing around $19 each, we went both to and from the beach. We snorkeled at what we felt was the best beach (Yekele) of the trip, containing lots of coral as well as marine life and fish. The water was perfect and clear- and shallow. Drank coconut water from coconuts and ate the inside flesh of the coconuts. After that, we boarded the cruise for the final time before heading back to Auckland City.

Oh, there were three parties BUT the most spectacular one was a Gatsby party- held in mid deck. The staff handed out Champagne (to those of age, including me) and we danced on the dance floor. Then we were asked to raise our glasses of Champagne in the air to toast. It was really fun- it had that 1920's vibe. And they sprinkled gold confetti on the floor.

Overall, it was a great trip and I hope to go on a cruise again!

NOTE: A few things and useful tips to remember before going on a cruise or whilst on the cruise

Avoid going if you have exams. For 18's and above (NZ/Australia), bring your ID card or they might not let you drink cocktails! It's good to have a professional camera with you. (Extra notes- make sure you have photoshop or other software so you can make your trip photos look neat and professional!) NEVER attempt to sneak alcohol-or worse illegal drugs into a ship- you will get caught out. And always declare duty free items or things you buy ashore otherwise risk having them confiscated and a fine- NZ/Australian Biosecurity is very strict!

Here are some photos from the trip: